USA INTO GOLD MEDAL GAME AFTER ROUT OF CZECH REPUBLIC

The United States are into the gold medal game at the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship after rolling to an 8-0 win over the Czech Republic in Friday’s first semi-final.

Kate Bacon and Brooke Ammerman scored two goals apiece for the Americans, who scored four goals in 9:26 in the second period to put the Czechs away.

Player of the Game Sarah Erickson, Amanda Kessel, Ashley Cottrell and Madison Packer also scored for the USA, who will face the winner of Friday’s later semi-final between Canada and Sweden in Saturday’s gold medal game (7:30 p.m. MT).

Bacon got her team on the board first just shy of the two-and-a-half-minute mark of the opening period, jamming the puck past goaltender Katerina Becevova after a long scramble in front of the Czech goal.

Erickson pushed the lead to 2-0 almost five minutes later, gathering the rebound of a Kessel shot and roofing it past Becevova on a USA powerplay.

Despite a 16-5 advantage in shots on goal, the Americans could only get two pucks past Becevova, but entered the intermission with the game’s momentum.

The flood gates opened for the Americans early in the second, starting with Bacon flipping a puck up and over Becevova at 2:13 of the frame.

Packer powered a shot over the Czech goaltender’s shoulder at 4:46, Kessel struck quickly on an American powerplay at 5:52 and Ammerman completed the barrage by blasting a slap shot over the glove of Becevova at 11:39 to send the USA into the intermission up 6-0.

Ammerman and Cottrell rounded out the scoring in the final 20 minutes as the Czech Republic appeared resigned to their fate – a bronze medal game against either Canada or Sweden on Saturday (4:00 p.m. MT).

Nikola Tomigova was named Player of the Game for the Czechs, who were outshot 49-11 overall. American goaltenders Alyssa Grogan and Rebecca Ruegsegger shared the shutout.